Q: We are considered an essential business so we’re still “open for pick-up” by customers.

Even though our employees have limited contact with our customers, I’m finding that some employees are a lot more anxious about infection than others. Some want to wear a mask and gloves, which we encourage, and others can’t be bothered. How can we get everyone in the same page?

A: That’s going to be tough because everyone is coming at this from a different place. Some employees are much better informed than others. Some might worry about underlying medical conditions either about themselves or people they live with that you may not be aware of. And still others might just be prone to be more cautious.

To add to the confusion, we receive conflicting info from officials: Sometimes they are “guidelines” like the CDC “recommending” masks in public. Sometimes they are hard-to-enforce “requirements” like NY requiring masks when taking public transportation; some are “enforced requirements” like Miami grocery stores turning away customers who don’t wear a mask.

Pre-pandemic, the gold standard for workplace safety was OSHA. They had rules for everything: air ventilation, toxic chemicals, loud noises, vibration, you name it. Now, we’re winging it. The feds, the states, the localities are all different, and employees hear news from all over the country.

So, what should employers do?

I suggest employers take informed and decisive action. For instance, even if your state doesn’t require masks and gloves, you can make it a work requirement it for your employees. That’s one way of getting everyone on the same page.

Paradoxically, employers also need to remain flexible and recognize that some employees are going to be more anxious, for reasons real or imagined. They might want a modification of duties, or they might want to carry sanitizer in addition to mask and gloves, some may want to stay home if they get the sniffles. People are going to have different ways of coping with the strange times we are living. I see this among my friends and family as some are over-clean, while others are over-informed). So this is a time to give staff -and each other- some slack, even if you think they’re being paranoid.

Everyone being on the “same page” might be “too tall” an order right now, so let’s make that page bigger and wider to fit everyone we can.

Stay healthy and safe.

©Copyright Eva Del Rio

Eva Del Rio is creator of HR Box™ – tools for small businesses and startups. Send questions to Eva@evadelrio.com